Car-coupling knuckle



ONESIMEJH'EBERT DI'LE COMPTE, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA, .'ASSIGNOR TO UNI- `VERSAL CAR AND HOSE COUIPLER 'COMPANY,'OF.IOKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA, ,A COR- PORATION Ol "ARIZONA.

CAR-COUPLING KNUCKLE.

Specification o1" Letters Patent.

Patented July 4,1922.

` vApplication'filed'ZDeceii/iber 16, 1919. V`SerialNo. 345,915.

lTo @ZZ 107mm t may concern-f Be it known that I. ONESIME HEBERT'DI Ln. COMPTE, citizen of the United States, re-A siding atfOklahomacity, in the countyA of Oklahoma and State vof Oklahoma, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Coupling Knuckles; and I'do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

Uexact description ofthe invention, such as ber 28th, 1920. In the coupler shown and described in the said prior application two counterpart coupler heads 4are designed-'to'v be alined with their front faces `in close 4and rigid contact, and interlocked by `means of pivoted knuckles, one carried on each coupler head, said knuckles having -oiiset shoulders on their outer sides near their forward `endseach-of said shoulders beingadapted to engage behind an abutment .formed in thewcompanion coupler head. `In the prior coupler the shoulder on the outer side of a knuckle is at right angles to an abutment surface which is adapted to contact with the inner face of the chamber in the head, and when in interlocked position the face of the shoulder which engages the said abutment is designed to be substantially perpendicular to the line of draft through the couplers.

The object of this invention is to compensate for wear in a coupler of the type indicated in order to maintain a tight and close connection between the abutting car coupler heads after they have been interlocked. In car couplers of the said type looseness or lost motion is objectionable not only because when this looseness occurs the rapidity of wear rapidly increases, but also because of the difiiculty in automatically conneet-ing and maintaining connections between train and other pipe connections and in connecting and maintaining connections between electric train circuits on the coupled cars when lost motion exists.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a horizontal section through two interlocked counterpart coupling heads exposing the interior mechanism;

Figure Q is a detail of one of the knuckles.

Numerals 2 and 2 indicate, respectively, hollow Vcoupling heads Ywhich are counterparts. 3 anddesignate knuckles one pivoted ineach-end. 4 and 4 designate abut- `Yments,formedrespectively inthe said counterpart couplers, the abutments in each head being located on the side opposite that on which'the knuckley 3. or' ispivoted. -5 or Y5 indicates a plane surfaceon the outer sideof the-,knuckle adapted tol lie flush against the inner surface ofthe vchamber ywithin the hollow `@coupling 'head when the knuckle 1s pro]ected..outward 1n engaging position .to the 4fullest extent possible. `6 or 6 representsa shoulder adaptechto venjgage behind the rabutmentslli or. 4', respectively, ,in a. mating. coupler.

IEach knuckleisprovided with an ear 7 having a perforation 8 through which ,passes a `pintle org-pin .9, said p1n.9vpass 1ng also into a coupling headeofas to hinge the knucklevto the head. `As shown,l .the ear 7 .proj ects lthrough an. `.opening l() .in the side of the coupling head,.and. the front .of said earl is in` close'.relationtothe'rear wall of said openingso that the pull or drafton a knuckle may be taken up in part or wholly by the wall of the head and relieve strain upon the pin 9. By reference to Figure 1 it will be seen that the distance between the center of the pivot pin 9 and the outer portion of the surface of the shoulder 6 or 6 is slightly greater than the distance from the center of said pivot pin to the inner portion of said shoulder 6 or 6, and that said shoulder 6 or 6 forms a surface which makes an oblique angle with the radii which intersect it. In other words, the surface 6 or 6 forms an angle greater than 90 with a line drawn from the center of the pin to substantially any point on said surface on the outer side of said line. The distance between the center of pin 9 and the front surface l1 of the coupler plus the distance from said surface l1 to the abutment 4 or 4 is slightly less than the radial distance from the center of the pin 9 to the outer portion of said surface 6 or 6 and slightly greater than the radial distance from the center of said pin to the inner portion of said surface 6 or 6. By this construction it will be apparent that when the two coupler heads are brought into engagement and the knuckles caused or allowed to swing outsurfaces 5, contact with the inner 'faces `ot the chambers `within the coupling heads.

The draw bars are represented by 12 and 1 2 and `the coupling pins by numerals 13 and 13. 14, 14 represent pivoted dogs adapted to be moved manually or otherwise for the purpose of releasing a knuckle from engagement with the shoulder 4 or 4.

In the particular coupling shown pressing the dog against the outer side ot one knuckle will cause `said knuckle to release the coinpanion knuckle, the point 15 or 15 onthe inner side oi the outer portion of the knuckle engaging witha tripping toe 16 or 16 on the knuckle of a companion coupler.

Each knuckle is constantly urged outward by means of a spring pressed plunger 17 or 17 seatedin a cavity in the rear portion of `each kiiiickle,vsaid plunger bearing against an abutment surface at the rear of the cham bei within the coupling head.

Nuinerals 20, 20 indicate a rigid hook projecting forward lfrom each coupler head which adapts said coupler to be used in connection with a mating coupler of the Janney type.

@it the parts described the improvements for which I seek a patent relate to the modification of the knuckle described. The detail structure in which my improvement consists -is diagrammatically indicated in Figure 2, where the relative inclinations of the surfaces and 6 with respect to the prior known devices of the same type is clearly indicated by solid and dotted lines in comparison, the pivotal point and other features of construction being identical with the said construction over whichmy` present invention. is designed as an improvement.

Having described my invention in such manner as to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same what I claim andV desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

In a car coupler, a hollow couplingl head having an open front, a coupling knuckle pivoted to the head at one side of the longitudinal axis thereof and projecting forward so as to protrude from within said head, said knuckle having on the outer side oit the protruding portion a shoulder adapted to engage an abutment on ia companion coupling head', the engaging surface of said shoulder being disposedat such an angle to lthe longitudinal axis of, the coupler7 when said surface is in position to engage the said abutment of a companion coupler, that :further outward movement of the knuckle causes said surface to exert a camming ac- 

